Chapter 5

Amid the noisy crowd, my phone suddenly chimed with the special notification sound I'd set for Ryan's social media.

I felt annoyed at myself for forgetting to turn it off.

I unlocked my phone and saw a photo: a tall guy showing half his face in profile, while a girl with long hair covering most of her features was kissing the other side of his face, hidden in shadow.

The image was hazy, making it hard to see clearly, but the atmosphere was unmistakably intimate.

Of course, the girl was Evelyn.

There was no caption, but somehow, the two of them looked ridiculously perfect together.

Right then, fireworks burst overhead with a loud bang, and the crowd around me broke out in excited shouts and gasps.

I forced down the sudden wave of nausea and discomfort, quietly removed Ryan from my special notifications, slipped my phone back into my pocket, and let myself melt into the chaos of the fireworks and the crowd.

Even after we got back to the guesthouse, Chloe was still buzzing with excitement.

"Wow, did you guys see that firework that kept shifting shapes? It was absolutely stunning! I heard there's going to be a larger fireworks show tomorrow. I'm even more excited for that!" she said.

I smiled and played along, not wanting Chloe to pick up on anything unusual.

On the way back, my phone kept buzzing with messages coming in one after another.

A few of them were from friends Ryan and I had in common.

[Holy crap! Corrine, you and Ryan are finally official? I knew it. You two should've gotten together ages ago. You've been inseparable since we were kids. You'd better treat us to something nice.]

[Is it official? Congrats!]

Since we'd just started college, the high school group chat was still super active, and classmates were spamming the chat: [Congrats to the most legendary couple in our school's history for finally getting together!]

I typed out replies to each message, stone-faced. [That girl isn't me.]

Some mutual friends were stunned, and some sent apologies.

[Sorry, my bad. I texted you without double-checking.]

[Did my ship really sink? Ugh, I'm crying. No matter what, Corrine, I'm on your side. This has to be Ryan's fault.]

[Sorry, she looked a bit like you from the side, so we thought it was you...]

It made my stomach turn. I tossed my phone aside.

After I finished my shower, I checked my phone again.

Aside from all the curious messages, there were a few from Ryan.

His messages came in fits and starts.

[Corrine, did you have fun today?]

I ignored him. Ten minutes later, Ryan sent another message.

[Don't misunderstand. I lost a game tonight. There's nothing going on between the girl and me. We just happened to bump into each other at a friend's gathering.]

Ryan really thought I was an idiot.

When I still didn't reply, he shot over another message.

[I checked with your roommate. She said you didn't come back to the dorm tonight. Corrine, where are you?]

Our families went way back, so I didn't want to make a scene. I just replied: [Just went out to have some fun. If you're happy, that's all that matters. There's nothing for me to misunderstand.]

Ryan replied almost instantly: [Out having fun? Who are you with?]

Before I could reply, Ryan messaged again: [Never mind. Must be Chloe. Oh, and when you get back to campus, could you pick up your favorite lipstick for me? I lost a bet and now I owe her a lipstick, but I have no clue about the shades you girls like.]

[I lost a bet and now I owe her a lipstick, but I have no clue about the shades you girls like.]

I was speechless.

I put my phone on silent and went to bed.

But I never saw it coming. The next morning, my phone was blowing up.

Aside from the two new messages from Ryan, there were a bunch from our mutual friends and classmates.

[Corrine, I knew it. The couple I'm shipping would never break up. Did you see Ryan's post last night? He said it was just a game thing.]

[Corrine, if there's any misunderstanding between you and Ryan, you should clear it up. I've never seen Ryan act like this before. That late-night post? He was definitely trying to explain himself to you.]

[Corrine, are you still holding a grudge against Ryan? I didn't believe him when he said you were getting jealous lately, but I guess he was right. Don't be so petty.

[He told me it was just a game. You ignored him all night, and he was losing it in our dorm group chat. Come on, just make up already.]

Honestly, I just didn't feel like explaining anymore, so I kept my phone on silent and decided to lose myself wandering around the old town.

I changed into the traditional clothes I'd picked out yesterday.

Chloe was rocking a bright red set, with a matching red cloak draped over her shoulder. She looked bold and totally stood out.

I went for a pink-and-white set, the colors blending softly together, and topped it off with a white fur-trimmed cloak.

Chloe said I looked like a fluffy kitten and gave my cheeks a playful squish.

Charles was in a plain black men's set, but he was the kind of guy who could make anything look good. Just standing there, he looked like a noble heir from a rich family, straight out of a TV drama.

The three of us wandered around, snacking and sipping on drinks as we went, and honestly, we were having a blast.

What really surprised me was that Charles was a total pro with the camera. His shots were as good as any professional's. He quickly became our exclusive photographer for the day.

With his tall frame and good looks, he was catching everyone's eye. All along the way, girls in traditional clothes kept blushing and coming up to ask if he could take their photos.

Of course, he turned them all down, leaving a trail of broken hearts behind.

I couldn't help but tsk to myself. Seriously, there were so many beautiful and adorable girls everywhere, but handsome guys were like unicorns, almost impossible to find.

Most of the time, it was like all these gorgeous girls ended up with guys who didn't deserve them. What a shame.

I glanced at Charles and inadvertently sighed.